Semiconductor devices such as multiple semiconductor integrated circuit formed on a semiconductor wafer undergo an electrical test in a semiconductor wafer state to determine whether or not they are manufactured in accordance with the specification before being separated into respective chips. In this electrical test with use of the semiconductor wafer as a device under test, a probe card is used in general to connect a tester to the device under test.
This probe card includes a connection base plate and multiple probes connected to conductive paths of the connection base plate, and each probe is fixed at a base end thereof on the opposite side of a tip end on a corresponding conductive connection pad provided on the connection base plate by solder, for example (refer to Patent Literature 1, for example).
Prior to fixing of each probe on each connection pad of the connection base plate, solder cream is applied to each connection pad with used of a printing technique, for example. In a state in which the base end of the corresponding probe abuts on the solder cream on the corresponding pad, a coupling portion is heated to electrically and mechanically couple each probe with the connection base plate.
In such coupling of the probe with use of the solder, by forming an appropriate fillet by the solder between the base end of the probe and the corresponding connection pad, reliability of coupling of each probe with the connection base plate can be enhanced.
However, in the aforementioned method, in which the solder cream is applied in advance to the connection pad to which each probe is to be coupled by the printing technique, there is a tendency toward difficulty in applying as much solder cream as required for generating the appropriate fillet to each connection pad by miniaturization of connection pads along with a high density trend of an integrated circuit. Such a tendency is obvious in a probe card in which each probe is made of a thin metal wire such as a chrome wire referred to as a needle.